It would seem we are all so screwed. The NY Times 'Age of Impunity:'
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The Iraq war and President Bush’s with-us-or-against-us war on terrorism was supposed to frighten the bad guys so much that they wouldn’t dare cross the United States. But the opposite has happened. President Bush has squandered so much of America’s moral authority — not to mention our military resources — that efforts to shame or bully the right behavior from adversaries (and allies) sound hollow.
Where are we going here? Bush makes a big deal about speaking plainly. The irony of his 'all options on the table' talk in the past means less options are on the table now. Talking tough puts you in a tougher spot. Talking tough from the other side of the globe means we are a world away from a solution.
Message to Bush: Go ahead and blame Clinton for all he did or didn't do. Take some responsibility for what you haven't done while you were busy posing, dumbass. Or renew your membership in the Axis of Weasels. NY Times:
Beijing and Moscow would find it harder to say no if Mr. Bush made a clear pledge — no caveats and no fingers crossed behind his back — that he would not try to overthrow North Korea’s government if it abandoned its nuclear weapons. Mr. Bush needs to make the same unambiguous offer to Iran. As for Darfur, Khartoum might feel less cocky if Mr. Bush announced that he was taking the lead on soliciting troops for a peacekeeping force while asking NATO to start drawing up plans for a possible forced entry should the United Nations fail to act.
Words have lost their meaning. Diplomacy means less than zero to George Bush. But what's really amazing is how Captain Ed, a leading right wing light, writes about the Times saying 'drawing up plans for a possible forced entry.' To the Captain who never saw an invasion he didn't like, this can mean only one thing:
So now it's OK to invade another sovereign nation without UN approval?
The NY Times must be unilateralist wolves in sheep's clothing, choosing when it wants the United States to invade. Or something. Ed, check back with your doctor on the med schedule. Drawing up plans and possible forced entry are words that indicate quite a bit more caution in the English language than you seem to realize.
And what he said. Outside the Beltway's James Joyner: "Amusingly, John Hinderaker suddenly finds himself pleased with
The Heretik
